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PCB orders probe into U-19 World Cup failure

Pakistan Cricket Board has ordered a report from Under-19 team’s manager and coach.

Fresh from a 2-1 victory in a Youth ODI Series played in Australia in July/August this year, the Pakistan U-19 team went into the WorldT20 with high hopes, and expectations.

However, they were unable to make it to the tournament semi-finals – a defeat which PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf admitted had been fairly disappointing.
“Yes definitely the team went with great expectations but the results didn t match those expectations,” said Ashraf. “When the team returns we will seek reports from the management and try to find out what went wrong.”

Another source close to the board confirmed that the team coach’s habit of regularly posting team pictures and updates on Facebook had been noted by the board, which was concerned this activity may have distracted him from his coaching responsibilities.

“The question is that if a coach is busy focusing on uploading the activities of the team on a social networking site, does it affect his commitment to the team preparations,” said the source.

The Pakistan U-19s got off to a flying start in the tournament, and their performances appeared promising in the initial stages of the tournament.

They secured a comprehensive 109-run victory against the Afghanistan U-19s in the tournament opener, featuring stellar performances by skipper Babar Azam and bowler Zia-ul-Haq.

The second match, played against the Scotland U-19s at Buderim on August 13, saw the Pakistan U-19s triumphant once again, securing a 9-wicket win with 82 deliveries remaining.

The final Group B match, against the New Zealand U-19s, also resulted in a victory for the Pakistan U-19s – a 5-wicket win with 112 deliveries remaining.

However, the team failed to continue the momentum during their quarter-final against their arch-rivals, the India U-19s, who bested Azam’s men in a narrow 1-wicket victory, with 12 balls remaining.

Following their failure to make it to the semis, the Pakistan U-19s were also unable to win either their 5th place play-off semi-final against the West Indies U-19s, or their 7th place play-off against the Bangladesh U-19s.